Semantic context and figure-ground organization.
The semantic-priming paradigm was used to investigate the effect of semantic context on the latency to identify visually ambiguous and unambiguous targets. Ambiguous targets had reversible figure-ground organizations analogous to Rubin's vase-profiles picture in which the figural vase is shaped by the same contour that, if reassigned, shapes two figural profiles. The two organizations of the ambiguous targets were either a series of black irregular shapes or a familiar word in white letters; subjects were required to achieve the latter organization. Unambiguous target words were not reversible. Related primes, unlike unrelated primes, facilitated the identification of both types of target; but the magnitude of facilitation was greater for ambiguous targets. The results demonstrate that semantic context influences the speed of figure-ground organization and add perceptual ambiguity to the target manipulations that interact with context to affect encoding.
Davis
J
J
Hall of Science, Drew University, Madison, NJ 07940.
Schiffman
H R
HR
Greist-Bousquet
S
S
D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention; D004193:Discrimination Learning; D005364:Field Dependence-Independence; D006801:Humans; D009903:Optical Illusions; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual; D012660:Semantics